All That Mattered
by Passive Pegasus
Summary: After sneaking into the Equalists' meeting a week earlier, Mako and Korra find Bolin — along with many other pro-benders — missing. It's up to the remaining Fire Ferrets to rescue those unaccounted for before it's too late. Korra x Mako in the end ;
1. Chapter 1

**Yeah, so, after watching the first two episodes of Legend of Korra twelve times each (I kid you not, that is the exact number), I decided I would attempt to write out what I wish would happen in the upcoming episode (the one when Bolin goes missing/gets kidnapped). Naturally, it would never happen this quickly in a real episode, but this is my fantasy, people. Let me dream... please... Hehe. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Legend of Korra belongs to Nick and Brian Konietzko And Mike DiMartino**

The sky was illuminated that night, countless stars twinkling above and spotlights glaring into the atmosphere. A crowd gathered before the shining arena, their shouts audible even across the large bay on Air Temple Island, their demand simple. Let them in. It was all they wanted. But they wouldn't get it. They couldn't. Not with what had happened. Even if the circumstances were explained, no one would believe it.

The tension was palpable in the arena, the teams who were supposed to participate in the tournament were huddled around the center of the playing field. At least, what was left of them. No one could understand how it happened, but that didn't make it any less real. At least one member from each team was missing, unaccounted for, and it was as if they had disappeared without a trace. There were no clues, no evidence, just the unexplained absences. It was like someone had intended to sabotage the tournament, but the reason was unknown. Why? Why would someone do it?

Korra crouched on the ground beside Mako, shaking her head as she tried to wrap it around everything that had happened, Pabu the fire ferret laying curled beside her. Bolin... Whey they had taken him, she would never understand. He was so... innocent in a way. She hated to imagine what they were doing to him. And she had a pretty good idea of who had done it: The Equalists. Who else would do something to ruin the greatest sport in the bending world? They sickened her.

With a discerning eye, Mako regarded Korra, trying to figure out what she was thinking. He was concerned for his brother, tragically so, but he refused to let his emotions show. Never again. Even so, there was a fire burning in his heart, one that threatened to fuel his actions and make him do something he would later regret, but he managed to keep it under control. At least, for a little while.

It had been only one day earlier that Mako and Korra had found the ferret alone, Bolin nowhere to be found. Immediately, Mako sensed something was amiss; Bolin would never leave his beloved pet by himself. Almost five minutes later — which they had spent unsuccessfully trying to find clues — , the remaining members of the Fire Ferrets had been ambushed by two Equalists, and it had taken a mere thirty seconds for them to be disarmed and knocked to the ground, immobilized. Chi-blockers. Korra had never even heard of them before, let alone faced them, and, despite being close to a full-fledged Avatar, she had been unable to put up much of a fight. It was pure luck that Naga and Pabu had been able to fight the Equalists off before something terrible could have happened to the two benders.

When they had finally managed to regain feeling in their limbs, the two of them knew they had to tell someone, and Tenzin was the most trustworthy person they could think of. He told the police, but they had had no luck yet. It was an unbelievably stressful situation; not only was Mako's brother missing, but it had been the day before the pro-bending tournament that he had disappeared. It was as if someone had intentionally committed the crimes of kidnapping so many benders to spite the tournament.

The arena's owner, Toza, strode into the center of the field, a mixture of disappointment and fury on his features. The remainder of the teams stared at him, awaiting whatever he planned on saying.

"You all need to leave," he declared, his voice powerful. Immediately, dozens of voices rose up in response, anguished cries and complaints filling the air. "Silence! We can't hold the tournament, and we don't know where the other players are. We're going to reschedule. Go home and rest up. The police will handle this." With that, he waved them away, exiting the room as quickly as possible. Quiet conversation arose, but no more protesting occurred; they all knew he was correct.

Korra was the first to leave, her movements hurried and filled with annoyance, and Mako followed closely behind, trying to keep up. They exited from the back, avoiding the furious crowd, and, for a moment, she stopped, resting on the balcony overlooking the distant island that housed the Air Temple. The young Avatar gripped the railing tightly, her knuckles turning white from the effort, her teeth gritted. The bar beneath her hold began to turn red, burning with her controlled fire. Mako placed a hand on her shoulder, his face apathetic but his intentions clear, her firebending ceasing immediately. Exhaling deeply, Korra released her grip, turning around to face her teammate with an unreadable expression in her eyes.

"What are you thinking?" Mako asked softly, obviously not looking forward to what she was about to say. She smiled partially, turning her gaze away. He continued to stare at her, puzzled. After a minute or so, Korra turned to face him once more, hands on her hips.

"We need to go find the Equalists," she stated simply, her determination clearly evident. Mako merely regarded her with a skeptical stare. "I'm serious, Mako! I can't just let these people get tortured or whatever. I have to help them, or at least try! And I know I can't do it alone." She pleaded with him silently, but he was immune to her attempts.

"Korra, it won't do any good," he replied, shaking his head solemnly. He turned to look out across the water. "Whoever took the players, whether it's the Equalists or someone else, is very clever and cunning. We won't be able to help anything. Bolin... He'll be fine. We can't help him or anyone else right now, not without any information. It just hope he will be ok." He added the last sentence in a quiet voice, and Korra turned to him, her face serious and sympathetic. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she replied softly.

"He will be alright," Korra responded, squeezing gently. "After infiltrating that meeting the Equalists held here last week, I know it was them. It couldn't be anyone else! We're going to save your brother. I promise." He simply turned to face her, his face unemotional but his eyes filled with gratitude. "You just have to trust me. We have to work together. We have to work as a team or we'll both regret it. You in?" With a sigh, Mako ran a hand through his short hair, cracking his neck in the process.

"I'm in," he replied reluctantly, earning a grin from the Avatar. "Thank you, Korra. Just... Thanks." She nodded, understanding what he was trying to say, and, clapping him on the back, she continued walking, taking long strides to get to the side of the building.

"The most ironic place for them to be would be someplace related to bending, somewhere that no one in their right mind would suspect," she reasoned, refusing to slow down. Turning her head slightly to face Mako, she directed a question at him. "Are there any places you know of here like that? Other than the pro-bending arena, of course. We're kind of here already, and I'm pretty sure they aren't." Mako emitted a forced laugh, licking his lips as he thought about it.

"Well the only place I know of would be the old bending arena, but it's been closed for yea—" he tried to explain, but Korra cut him off, spinning around to face him.

"That's perfect!" she exclaimed, grasping both of his shoulders. "It makes a lot of sense." She abruptly released his shoulders, turning away. She moved so fast she missed the almost nonexistent blush that crept onto her friend's cheeks. "You'll have to lead the way. Let's go!" With that, the two pro-benders began running, Naga coming on cue as Korra whistled, and the two leaped onto the polar bear dog, racing against time to find the missing benders and the culprits behind their disappearances. They could only hope their only lead was a good one. Otherwise, by the time they figured it all out, it could be too late.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, this "chapter" is very short, but, you know, the next one is better... Um... Just stick with it... please... It'll get better, I promise! :)**

**I do not own Legend of Korra (though I desperately wish I did... How cool would that be?)**

After riding the creature for nearly twenty minutes, Mako signalled for Korra to stop her, and she did so immediately, pulling up on the reins abruptly. Naga skidded to a stop before a dark, mysterious building, the walls crumbling in places and the windows broken and covered haphazardly with boards. Empty, deserted Satomobiles rested in front of the building, their windows smashed. Korra turned around to face Mako, pushing his hand off of her waist — he had been holding on with one on the saddle and one around her — , her face housing a bit of skepticism.

"Is this the place?" she questioned quietly, sliding off her animal guide. When Mako nodded solemnly once more, she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "It seems so... abandoned. I guess that's exactly what we were looking for, though, huh? We should go in. We'll have to be quiet and keep very low-key. We don't want to run into those chi-blockers again. Come on." With a finger pressed momentarily to her lips, Korra began sneaking around the side of the abandoned arena, creeping along the wall with Mako close behind.

Within a few minutes, they came across a window whose boards had been removed, the wood now strewn across the ground below, and, nodding for her friend to follow, Korra climbed through into the dark room, forcing her vision to adjust quickly. The room was nearly bare, save for a pile of ashes in the corner and what remained of what could have been a tea set. On the far wall stood an empty door frame, the hinges rusted, a dim yellow glow pulsing from somewhere down the hall. Pointing it out, Korra turned to Mako, instructing him where she intended on going. He nodded swiftly, following less than a foot behind her as she stepped silently through the doorway, pressing her body against the wall.

Her breathing steady, Korra moved as slowly as she possibly could until she found the source of the light. She cautiously stuck her head around the corner of the curved opening, her shoulders slumping in defeat as her mind registered what she was seeing. Within the confines of the domed walls was a large, open space with countless lanterns strung up around the edges. A crowd of at least fifty Equalists formed a circle around the center of the room, shouts and grunts audible from the hidden area. Each Equalist was equipped with their long, chain-like weapons, and nearly half donned the machines that would send volts of electricity through the target's body when attached. Then there was the worst part of all: Amon stood atop a high platform along the left wall, hands clasped behind him as his masked face monitored whatever was occurring below.

Korra pulled away, back against the wall, and, as she closed her eyes, she rested her head on the hard surface, sighing in what could have been interpreted as defeat. Naturally, this Avatar would never accept defeat, not in a million years, and, within a few seconds, her eyes were open once more, her typical fierce determination returning as she met Mako's gaze.

"There's too many, Korra," the firebender whispered, his voice nearly silent. "We can't face them. We couldn't even face two of them. It'd be suicide." He had seen what the room held, and he was giving up, recognizing the unfavorable odds. Korra wouldn't have it. She shook her head roughly, narrowing her eyes.

"Not with that attitude," she responded, hands on her hips once more. "We just have to be cunning and quick-thinking. Shouldn't be a problem for you, Mr. Improv." She referenced one of the many names the referee in the bending matches bestowed upon him, drawing a smile on his lips as he shook his head.

"You are crazy," he replied, raising his eyebrows, "but I trust you. I just hope you have a plan." She grinned, nodding after a moment of thought.

"Of course I do; I'm the Avatar," she whispered back, winking in his general direction as she whipped her head around to peer once more into the enormous room. She quickly analyzed the situation as best she could, and, after taking a deep breath, she grasped Mako's hand, shot him a look that obviously said either "Good luck" or "Just go with it" or maybe both. Either way, his head drooped as he realized she didn't actually have a plan — she had never really intended to conceive one, either. With only a moment's hesitation, Korra lurched forward, dragging the firebender behind her, and shot into the room, standing in plain sight. Mako's eyes were wide as the Avatar inhaled as deeply as she could, filling her lungs with air. He immediately regretted making his decision even before her lips opened.

"Hey!" her voice rang out throughout the room, echoing off the curving walls, silencing everything and everyone. "What do you think you're doing, Amon?" The masked man chuckled, his body not moving an inch but his voice loud and clear. The tension in the room was tangible, but still no one moved an inch.

Then all eyes turned to the benders in the doorway.


	3. Chapter 3

**This is a bit longer and more exciting, but, for some reason, this fiction I didn't include as much detail... Sorry about that... :) Enjoy!**

**I don't own Korra. **

Mako automatically shifted into a fighting stance, mentally questioning why he went along with Korra's so-called plan; he knew she was too reckless and impatient to actually formulate a logical course of action. Korra remained still, challenging every person in the room with a taunting stare. While he admired her bold attitude, Mako knew it was probably the stupidest thing to do at the moment; they were outnumbered outrageously and by people they didn't know how to fight. Amon turned slowly, his face still obscured by his haunting mask, his hands now clasped before him.

"Ah, welcome, young Avatar," he called tauntingly, opening his arms in a faux greeting. "I have anticipated your arrival for quite some time. It is a pleasure to see your face in person." Korra stepped forward, crossing her arms over her chest and daring anyone to make a move. Mako discreetly mimicked her movements, remaining a few feet behind her.

"Wish I could say the same for you," she retorted, leaning forward and raising an eyebrow."Why are you hiding behind that thing, anyway? Afraid people will recognize you?" She was treading on dangerous ground, now, and everyone in the room knew it, but Amon simply laughed, amused by her attempts at aggravating him.

"Oh, Korra, Korra, Korra," he clucked, descending the slim staircase that had blended into the wall, an Equalist following closely behind and the crowd below separating to allow him access to the floor. "It isn't polite to demand things of your rival, especially in a situation such as this." She narrowed her eyes at the strange man, daring to take another step forward with defiance, her frustration clear.

"It isn't 'polite' to kidnap sixteen people!" she countered, clenching her fists to prevent sparks from flying. Mako rested a hand on her shoulder, eyes wider than normal, attempting to calm her down. She inhaled sharply, relaxing her muscles and loosening her grip, Mako getting the memo and dropping his hand. He knew not to coddle her. As the masked man strode forward, stopping a good twenty feet away, Amon began clapping slowly, teasing her with false appreciation.

"Congratulations. You figured out that I was behind that. Not that it wasn't obvious, though the rest of the city seems quite puzzled," Amon mocked, tilting his covered face slightly. "Of course, that will not help you whatsoever. My plans have already been enacted. There is no way you can stop me now. The anti-bending revolution has begun, my dear. There is nothing you can do to stop it." Korra's heart thundered in her chest, his words the same as they had been a week earlier. She was frozen in place, something strange and new seizing her heart — something that brought the word "fear" to mind. "You will not leave here tonight, children. Get them." At that, the masked leader backed away, three Equalists rushing forward on cue. It was as if they had already had it planned out; they were taking it slow, intent on drawing the fight out as long as possible. Fine with me, Korra thought to herself, smiling absentmindedly, shifting into the form Bolin had shown her.

The first Chi-blocker shot towards her, his body tense, but the Avatar was ready. She focused as much as she could, stomping on the ground and thrusting outward with her fists, slamming the rock into her attacker's chest at an incredible speed, knocking him backwards and into the following Equalist. Mako kicked his opponent's feet out from under him, blasting red-hot flames at him and sending him crawling away, the next entourage of Chi-blockers immediately moving forward.

The battle continued like that for quite some time, Korra and Mako managing to hold back the enemies with powerful offensive and defensive moves. She would rapidly switch using elements, sometimes combining them, but it was still a challenge for her. By the time they had incapacitated at least 80% of the Equalists, they were panting and sweating, their energy nearly burnt up.

Now that the crowd of Chi-blockers had dispersed, they could see through to the center of the room where they had been gathered, and the sight wasn't a pretty one. The missing members of the pro-bending teams lay crumpled on the ground, chains bound around their wrists and ankles, bruises and scrapes that covered their skin visible even from almost fifty feet away.

Bolin was the closest one, his body nearly still, and, though Korra was the first to spot him, Mako quickly followed her gaze, his eyes widening and his focus deteriorating. Without thinking, his composure failing for a moment, he made to advance, his mind dead set on saving his brother, Korra busily fighting off a particularly strong Equalist and struggling. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted what Mako was trying to do and the Chi-blocker who was speeding toward him. Within a few seconds, Korra unable to voice her warning, Mako was knocked to the ground, the enemy punching his pressure points and immobilizing him, continuing to attack until his nose was gushing and his body was limp. He hadn't even been able to put up a fight.

"Mako!" Korra cried in anguish, and, with a sudden burst of energy, she shoved the Equalist to the floor, slamming her foot on the ground to send him flying. Her mind was reeling for a reason she couldn't understand, and, in a sudden flurry of emotion, she felt her control vanish. In a single instant, her face contorted, and her eyes began to glow as she entered the Avatar State for the first time, floating into the air in an airbending sphere, despite her inability to consciously bend the element. Amon's shock was evident even through his mask, his eyes becoming wider than the holes. As she began bending the elements like she had never done before, knocking out Equalist fighters left and right, Mako stirred, his eyes fluttering open only to see his friend in a frighteningly powerful status. The two remaining Equalists fled with their leader through the curved entrance, abandoning their kidnappees and their fallen members and disappearing around the bend. Her power drained, Korra drifted to the ground, falling to her knees as the glow disappeared.

She moaned, holding her head and breathing heavily, for under a minute before rising unsteadily to her feet, immediately sprinting to Mako's side and sliding to meet him, crouching down to be at his eye level. Her eyes were full of concern — an unusual display of emotion for her — and Mako found himself quite shocked. He had never thought Korra — the brave, determined, and ultimately fearless Korra — would advertise such a vulnerable emotion, and for him nonetheless. Swallowing her uncommon feelings, she offered a hand to him, helping him rise to his feet and supporting him momentarily before being sure he was strong enough to do so on his own. Quickly, she raced over to the fallen pro-benders, breaking the steel links that bound them with her amateur-but-still-powerful metalbending. Korra turned to Mako, a puzzled look on her face.

"We need to get them out of here and soon," she stated, her breath still coming in short pants. "How can we, though? They're hurt, obviously, but we don't have enough strength to get them out at once." Mako scratched his head, thinking it over.

"What about Naga?" he pondered aloud, rubbing the back of his neck. "We could put some of them on her saddle with you and tie one of the abandoned wagons out front to the back. We'll put the rest back with me. How does that sound?" Korra nodded in agreement after a moment, setting to work carving a large slab of earth out of the ground to transport the victims. Mako followed her train of thought and began gently lifting the unconscious benders onto the area she was chopping at, resting only when all sixteen were lying peacefully atop it. "You sure you can handle all that weight?" He seemed genuinely concerned, but Korra brushed away his worries, furrowing her brow and concentrating as hard as she could.

"I'll be fine," she replied through gritted teeth, lifting the rock into the air with a large amount of effort. "Just light the way, alright? We'll need to go through the front to make it easier. I'll bend a pathway right through, don't worry. Let's get moving." At that, they began striding towards the exit, Korra carving a large opening in the walls ahead of them. Soon enough, she blasted a hole out into the open air with a single hand, finally using both to control the oversized rock ahead of her. With shaking arms, she gently laid the earth down on the ground beside her animal guide. Mako immediately began aiding her in moving the fainted benders onto the saddle and into the nearest automobile, being sure as to not injure anyone further.

Using a rope she happened to have handy — never know when a cord would be useful!— , Korra tied the front of the car to the back of Naga's saddle, pulling it tight and taut to be sure it was secure. Once she was positive, she shot a look over her shoulder to Mako, signalling for him to get ready, and then they took off, speeding down the quiet, dark roads on the way to the only place they knew where to take their fallen comrades: the bending arena. They only hoped they could find safety and aid there.


	4. Chapter 4

**The end! So short... I apologize... Either way, I hope you've enjoyed this, and I'm sorry for the sappy, random and abrupt ending... Just my style, I guess... Kind of... Ahem... Anyways...**

**B.K. and M.D. own Korra**

Korra stood once more in the back of the arena, gazing out across the illuminated island where Tenzin lived, her head resting on her hands and her elbows on the railing. Her mind was whirring despite her fatigue.

They had made it to the arena in record time not two hours previously, managing to keep everyone safely secured the entire journey, and it was sheer luck Toza and the normal paramedics — they would observe the matches to help when the players got hurt — had been around. Everyone would be fine. They were safe. Though some of their injuries were quite substantial — namely Bolin who had a sprained shoulder and wrist — but according to the doctors, all the benders would be fine in a few weeks.

Even so, the young Avatar knew the battle wasn't over, not even close. If anything, she had just made the situation worse. The Equalists were bound to find a new headquarters soon enough, and it was obvious they would plan revenge. Amon knew her true power now, and her only weakness. Korra hadn't even realized what her weakness was; in all honesty, she had believed she wasn't afraid of anything. Now she knew the truth.

The Fire Ferret firebender stepped softly to stand next to her, resting his elbows on the bar and leaning out, remaining silent. The two stood like that for a while, neither willing to speak first, until Mako finally gave in with a sigh, turning to face her.

"Korra... I can't thank you enough for saving Bolin, for saving everyone," he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just... you were incredible in there. And I'm sorry for getting distracted. When I saw my brother... I just—" Korra cut him off, hands on her hips again as she turned to him.

"You don't need to apologize, Mako," she laughed, shaking her head. "You helped a lot. I couldn't have done it without you." He shook his head in return, refusing to smile.

"No, Korra, I was irresponsible. I didn't think. I could have ruined the entire mission," he groaned, closing his eyes. "And then there was you. You could have been killed. But then you... you got this amazing power. I saw it and I still don't believe it. You're the only reason we survived." The Avatar's grin slid off her face, and she stared with an atypical seriousness about her.

"You were the reason I got that power, Mako," she explained softly, forcing his eyes open. "It's called the Avatar State. It only comes out when the Avatar is in danger or when their emotions are too powerful. I—I'd never experienced it before because I've never been in a real, risky situation, and because I'm controlled; you know that." She inhaled deeply, turning away, facing the bay once more. "You got hurt. I... I guess I was... worried. No. I was afraid. Me!" She laughed, shaking her head at herself. "It was that emotion that sent me over the edge. It sucks to say that you had to get hurt, but, if you hadn't, I don't know what would have happened. I just... I care about you." Her voice dropped at the end, Korra hating how weak and vulnerable she sounded.

With only a moment's hesitation, Mako placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. She lifted her eyes to stare into his, cyan blue on amber. For a minute, they maintained their gaze, neither willing to back down — that's what you get when you put two feisty benders in a staring contest. Finally, Mako turned away, swallowing and letting his hand drop. Korra's heart beat stronger and faster than ever, and, only as an impulsive bender would do, she lifted her slightly shaking hand to his cheek, resting her fingers there and testing the waters. His face jerked around to meet her steady gaze, Korra daring him to speak, but, instead, he stepped closer, surprising her. He enjoyed her confusion more than he would ever admit.

"What now, Avatar Korra?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow. Though she would deny it if asked, her cheeks flushed slightly, her skin darker there as she averted her eyes for a mere second. Immediately, Mako regretted his forward words, and, eyes wide, he tried to cover it up. "Korra, I just... I didn't mean... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to impl—" But she cut him off with a finger pressed to his lips. He silenced himself, awaiting her abrasive retort.

"Shut up," she laughed, stepping into his embrace. With a single second of thought — more than she normally used — Korra tilted her face up and pressed her lips to Mako's, closing her eyes and not at all caring about his reaction. Of course, she would have been happy with it.

He was shocked at first, admittedly, but he recovered promptly, returning the action and shutting his eyes like she had. He would never confess to it, but Mako had wanted to kiss the Avatar ever since he first laid eyes on her, despite the fact that he had assumed she was Bolin's fangirl. Coincidentally, Korra had felt the same about him. It was perfect.

Of course, there was the lingering threat of their enemies hanging over their heads, even more powerful now that they had angered them. The identity of Amon was still a mystery, and it had only been luck that had allowed them to defeat the Chi-blockers. The Equalists were surely growing stronger. It would be significantly more difficult the next time they fought, if it could even be called a fight. There were many strange things happening in Republic City, and they troubled the public, Korra especially. It would prove to be problematic when the time arose to end the disputes and bring back peace once and for all. It might be next to impossible. No one knew how it would end; there were too many possibilities, too many variables. Everything in Republic City was simply a mess.

At the time, though, all was well. The battle against the anti-bending revolution could wait for another day. They wouldn't have much luck finishing it then, anyway. Korra and Mako shared their happiness and their passion, and, in that moment, that was all that mattered.

The End!


End file.
